A year after they literally “missed the bus” over Transport for London’s last-minute decision not to route the 434 to upper Kenley because of sightline issues on some suburban streets, and the ward’s Tory councillors are claiming the credit for finally getting a bus routed to serve the area.
On the buses: TfL is implementing changes to the 434, after waiting for action by Croydon Council for more than a year
In fact, the only reason for the delay in implementing the TfL route all this time had been Tory-controlled Croydon Council’s failure to paint double yellow lines along a short stretch of road.
The 434 runs between Coulsdon, Ridgemount Avenue and Caterham.
From the end of this month, the route will no longer serve stops on Godstone Road between Purley Tesco and Kenley Station, but will instead run via Foxley Hill Road, Higher Drive, Cullesden Road, Firs Road, Wattendon Road, Hayes Lane, Park Road and Hayes Lane.
“Locals have been asking for this for years,” one loyal reader observed.
Indeed, Inside Croydon archives indicate that TfL has been seeking ways of providing a bus route to one of the leafier outposts of the borough for at least six years.
Local readers have responded to the news with a mix of delight, and some bafflement. “How the effing hell will the bus negotiate the perilous Firs Rd – Cullesden Rd junction?” they ask, with good reason.
All in a line: it had taken Croydon Council more than a year to get double yellows painted on this bend on Wattendon Road, as requested by TfL
“It’s a 90-degree bend, with just enough space for two minis to pass,” said our local correspondent.
“I welcome this move, as it will allow Kenley folk to get to and from the Foxley Hatch.” The Foxley Hatch is a pub, in Purley.
“Looks like a game-changer, but I’d like to see seatbelts fitted for all, not just drinkers.”
Inside Croydon reported on the late change-of-heart by TfL last year, and Freedom of Information requests submitted by KENDRA, the Kenley and District Residents’ Association, discovered that the route was ruled out because of two dangerously tight corners.
A TfL report confirmed that changes to the 434 were delayed because Croydon’s Tory-run council had not carried out required works on roads that come under its control.
The TfL safety report obtained by KENDRA advised: “There are two sharp bends causing blind spots on Wattendon Road. If another bus, or other large vehicle, were to meet a 434 in-service while traversing this bend, neither vehicle may be able to proceed without reversing.
“Furthermore, there are no overtaking opportunities on even the straight sections of this road.”
Now, the revised service, with buses turning off the A22 Godstone Road and into the more narrow streets of Kenley, is due to begin on March 29, when the route “will operate as a hail-and-ride service through this corridor (along Higher Drive, Cullesden Road, Firs Road, Wattenden Road, Hayes Lane, Park Road and Hayes Lane again)”.
Accident blackspots: the 434 route changes failed a safety check last year because the council had failed to paint double yellow lines on a some tight bends
TfL says: “There are no fixed stops or shelters [along this stretch of the route], but you can ask the bus driver to stop by signalling at a safe point.
“If the driver cannot stop safely where you signal, they will stop as close as possible and wait for you to board.”
Notifications from TfL have gone out to addresses along the route.
Kenley’s Tory councillors, Gayle Gander and Ola Kolade, issued an update yesterday, eager to claim the credit, saying that “the safety concerns delaying the implementation of the 434 bus route have now been resolved”.
In fact, after more than a year’s hectoring, Croydon Council has finally got round to doing as requested by TfL, and has had double yellow lines painted around a bend on Wattendon Road to address line-of-sight issues that were preventing the safe operation of the bus.
A bus test run staged in January, just three days after the double yellow were in place, confirmed that the safety measures were effective, clearing the way for the route to be altered as TfL had wanted.
The changes to the 434 as outlined by TfL are as follows:
- Right turn into Higher Drive
- Continue onto Cullesden Road
- Continue onto Firs Road
- Right turn onto Wattenden Road
- Left turn onto Hayes Lane
- Continue onto Park Road
- Continue onto Hayes Lane
- Right turn onto Godstone Road
“We’re confident that the new 434 bus service will be a welcome addition for Kenley residents,” Gander and Kolade (notorious for having been accused by three bishops and other church leaders of deliberately misleading voters – or as most people call it: lying) told residents. “The route is expected to follow the map below,” they said.
There was, of course, no map.
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